LukeCustomer2 Reviews

Dead Boy Detectives (2024– )

Lockwood and Co. Did it better

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

I was surprised to see the premise of this show after Lockwood and Co. Was cancelled. Especially since this one is so inferior to Lockwood. The show was ... frantic without a lot of sense or structure to it. I ended up falling asleep.

The premise is that there are two ghosts (dead boys) who have not crossed over to the next world and are staying on earth as detectives for ghosts and other creatures that can see them. This premise itself imho is insane. How much business can there be? Both the main characters are not likable but are eventually joined by crystal palace (yup from War Games) who is by far the most unlikable character. When we start with the cat king I knew this has gone too far for me.

I would also note that imho this show is being pushed because Lockwood had a non woke storyline and this one is as woke as possible. Total waste of time but betting Netflix will renew.

Anyone But You (2023)

Glad I waited for streaming.

[3/10 · 27 April 2024]

I thought this movie was dreadful. Sidney Sweeney just cannot act and I am assuming she is getting cast in everything because of her chest and her willingness to show it. This move makes no sense... Glen Powell and Sidney Sweeney play Ben and Bea who meet cute, like each other, and spend one chaste night together spooning. Bea sneaks out of his apartment and Ben wakes up to a "bro" friend who I guess has a key - who is kidding him about being in love. To wit, Ben says, "that girl was a mess and I couldn't wait to be rid of her" only Bea had turned around for Ben's apartment and heard the comment.

Ok ok, I can see her ghosting him after that... but eventually she runs into him again as a friend of a friend who is going to a wedding and, even though she moved on with another guy, she hates Ben to a crazy degree. This makes no sense anyone with a half a brain knows how men talk and would have known that no one spends the night spooning with a girl he can't stand. At least at this point (since she was going to be stuck with him) I would have asked him what that was all about? You know... like an adult?

The rest of the movie is just one romance cliche' after another thrown in for good measure. We go from the lovers to hate each other to pretending they are in love to fool others to actually being in love. I just couldn't take it any longer. And if you are looking for non woke stuff... this movie is absolutely bonkers with it. Then let's not get into how realistic it is... the family has an oceanside villia in Australia? As you do.

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

Ok watch

[7/10 · 21 April 2024]

If you are someone who could be disturbed by people being horrible to each other... you probably shouldn't watch it. But I thought it was a well made film and enjoyable for the acid tongue thoughts of the main character which narrates the film.

The main character Ani has it all. She is a super thin babe who writes for a magazine in New York. Her fiancé is rich - old money rich - and she is about to be married. But you can tell by her narration she hates the world she is in. Ani is "famous" or infamous for an incident that took place at her high school... a school shooting that the public knows her as a hero in, but doesn't know half the story. And hiding that story has made Ani the way she is. Over the course of 5 weeks before her wedding, a documentary film maker wants to have Ani participate in a documentary about the incident and this opens the floodgates for Ani to finally stop hiding.

Love, Divided (2024)

Saw this the first time...

[1/10 · 15 April 2024]

When it was called "Blind Date" and was a french movie. This is a rip off with poor acting and poor story.

The set up... is that there is a recluse who has lived for years in a cheap apartment - in part - because one of the walls has no insulation... eventually someone moves into the other apartment and though he tries to scare her off... she won't leave. So they form a truce and try to be quiet... but end up falling for each other.. but since the apartments are on the other side of the complex... they never meet and have no idea what the other is like. (and they refuse to tell each other because if they did the movie would be over.

Go rent the french version.. So much better.

Radius (2017)

Shoots for the sky

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

This is the kind of movie that shot for sky and some people might not like that, but I did. The story is already high concept but then they add another high concept at the end. The movie starts with a man waking from a car accident. He has no memory of what happened. When he gets into civilization the first woman that pulls over for him is dead... then he walks into a diner and they are all dead... crows are dropping from the sky - eventually he realizes he is doing it. People / living things can't get close to him without dying. He is suitably terrified and isolates himself. Eventually a woman shows up who doesn't seem effected at all. She tells him she was in the car accident with him. She also has no memory. Suddenly with her standing next to him... no one, and no animal seems to be dying. She is essentially the antidote.. but she must stand within a certain range of him.

As they are on the run from the police (who will separate them) they are remembering more about their past lives and growing closer not in a romantic sense but in a human way brought about by their predicament. Until that is... the ending. Which I will not give away. But if you think the ending is going to be something related to their powers.... nope. It has to do with why these two were in the car in the first place and why they had the accident.

For me, this script was great but the acting was poor. This is my only quibble with the movie. Hollywood should remake this with the full budget treatment.

Shortcomings (2023)

Technically good: but not enjoyable.

[5/10 · 14 April 2024]

I was interested enough to finish the movie and that says something but I wouldn't watch it again. The movie is about a few friends living in Berkley who are essentially all struggling. Ben Tenaka, his gay female friend Alice, and his girlfriend, Miko. Ben is a first class man boy jerk. Exhibit A in what is wrong with men today and why women are giving up on love and marriage. Ben is controlling, unfaithful, negative, a racist and a hypocrite. And shockingly his career and money prospects are poor, only being the manager of a small cinema.

We watch him as he drives off everyone in life with his toxic masculinity and I guess... are supposed to root for him in the end, that he will change. But the movie gives us no hint that is going to happen? For me the best part was his girlfriend telling him off... after leaving him. Though, he is unsupportive, sarcastic, soul crushing and unpleasant, when she tries to get away and claims to be doing an internship in New York, to let him down gently, after he messes around, confronts her for being unfaithful. Stunning but typical today. But confused as to why anyone would want to see a story about this.

Holiday in the Vineyards (2023)

Much better than I thought it was going to be.

[8/10 · 14 April 2024]

This was much better than expected. Privileged son of a wine family is tasked with a job by his mom -- they are looking to buy a vineyard and "Carter" (Josh Swickard) is to go find out what the bids are going to be. But Carter needs to blend in to get information so he can't stay in luxury. Carter while out scoping runs into the real estate agent with the vineyard listing who also happens to offer him lodging in her guest house, if he will help her fix it up. Long story short she thinks he is a handyman. Of course.... sparks fly.

This was absolutely better than regular Hallmark fare. Josh Swickard, in addition to actually being good looking, has mad charisma (and looks like Colin from Bridgerton). The supporting cast is solid. The only quibble is that the lead actress Sol Rodriguez is not that great and is the deadwood of the story. But still enjoyable.

Baby Reindeer (2024)

This was so good.

[9/10 · 13 April 2024]

I binged this the first time I watched it. This is the kind of show that I didn't think Hollywood could make anymore. Packed with meaning at every turn with its pulse on the brokenness of so many. But truly not depressing or without a positive message. The ending was so pitch perfect bringing the entire saga full circle that I could do nothing but cry.

As has been stated this is presumably a story about a bartender / comedian who ends up with a stalker who changes his life and helps him deal with truths in his life he couldn't face.

My only quibble is that it sort of falls into some stereotypes of things that deeply trouble people but these tropes have been used a million times and I wish they would be more original on the many and varied ways people can become broken and the ways they deal with it.

Fallout (2024– )

You may not like it if you aren't a game fan

[2/10 · 12 April 2024]

As a woman and a non game fan I wouldn't recommend this show. It is made well but has nothing in it I want to see. It is essentially the game turned into a tv show... but that doesn't mean I will want to see any of it. Some examples from the first two shows... the main character, alleged to be a spoiled girl, essentially has sex with a raider (criminal) under false pretenses, has her father kidnapped, and her response... go out into the very scary world to get him back. Um... that is what a character in a game does... no girl has those reactions. Soon we are introduced to a character that has his foot taken clear off and dies from the bleeding and what does this girl do? Removes his head as he asked. Right, as you do? There is no humanity in this show, just game characters and thus no one to root for.

Ripley (2024)

Everything that is wrong with Hollywood.

[1/10 · 8 April 2024]

This was not good. I haven't even seen the talented Mr. Ripley so I am not being influenced. The story, what there is of it, is that a rich playboy won't come home so his rich dad hires some acquaintance of this son to convince him to come home. But said acquaintance is not exactly a nice person. Agree that Andrew Scott is all wrong for this role. He comes off as completely the sketchy person he is. (and the first scene gives away the ending so you have no doubt). Right now he is being pushed by Hollywood so he gets this role even though he isn't right for it. The black and white does nothing to help the story and only screams pretentious (and I think it actually makes Scott look older). But for me the real problem is that there isn't enough story here to make a series. The first two episodes were intensely slow and drawn out. Even hitting the fast forward button a lot I felt like they were really puffing the story out. This is everything wrong with Hollywood today. Take a previously done story, do it wrong, make it longer and cast people you want to push.

Inventing Anna (2022)

Could not get past the first episode

[4/10 · 5 April 2024]

Normally I like Shondaland things but this did not do it for me. It was a classic case of tell don't show. We start with Anna being jailed for theft and then go directly to the reporter who takes an interest. Vivian a writer at Manhattan Magazine who tells everyone she can in the first episode how important Anna's story is. The problem for the audience is that we aren't given any good reason why. They go on to suggest that it is something about Vivian... that Vivian made some mistake in her journalism career that she wants to correct via Anna's story. But in the entire first episode I could see nothing that could do that. Anna is a jerk and I know enough of the story to know there likely ISN"T... anything to add. Getting tired of fame being equal to a good story. Sometimes they are just criminals.

Wednesday (2022– )

Not great

[5/10 · 4 April 2024]

I heard so much good about this but unfortunately after about 4 episodes I just wasn't interested any more. While it was slightly better than most Netflix fare, imho, it had a few problems that ruined it for me. Wednesday was a super Mary Sue throughout most of this series. She has two love interests who are head over heels for her and there is almost nothing that she cannot do / solve. All of her investigations... she is set up as on top of them. If there is any sort of school competition she is the winner. Her roommate will do anything to be her friend even though Wednesday is not pleasant. I just had no interest in sticking around until they end to find out anything.

Little Women (2017)

Uneven: with filler

[6/10 · 3 April 2024]

This is not a faithful telling of Little Women, rather they try to add to the original story. They flesh out a few things that were not clear in the original but, it turns out, adding to this story does not make it better. For me, the acting wasn't particularly stellar either. Maya Hawke, nepo baby, leads this story, poorly. Not interesting enough to play Jo. Kathryn Newton as Amy doesn't really capture the role and seems bratty most of the time. It is hard to buy Laurie's interest in her as anything other than a rebound. I did enjoy the additions with regard to Mr. Brook and additional information around Laurie and Mr. Lawrence, but in the end I could take this or leave it.

The Flatshare (2022)

Pretty good.

[7/10 · 25 March 2024]

Though, this ground was already covered in the movie... the night we never met. Basically Tiffany needs a cheap flat and Leon needs money so they make an arrangement where Tiffany gets the apartment from 8 pm to 8 am and Leon from 8 am to 8 pm. Leon is a nurse who works at night. So, per the roommate agreement they never meet and only communicate by post it notes.. until hijinks ensue.

Frankly the series was too long. It came to its natural conclusion around episode 4 and you could tell they were dragging it out. The non picked love interests were total tropes that were a chore to watch because they were such horrible people. And finally I think this would have been better if they had Jonah Hauer-King as Leon. It is glaring that he is in this but only has a small insignificant part.

On the plus side thank you to the actor who does play Leon (Anthony Welsh) for creating a unique character -- a true introvert -- that is interesting and compelling. But I never necessarily got the feeling he had any feelings for Tiffany or anyone in the world. Even his concern about his brother seemed like stubbornness.

The Power (2023)

Well done.

[8/10 · 24 March 2024]

I am only about 1/2 way through but so far this is an excellent show. One of the best aspects I think is that it has several main characters and shows, somewhat believably, what would happen if they all developed new powers. I enjoyed the world building of each very different character and the "what would happen if" of it all. We see the story mostly via the mayor of Seattle who is dealing with overwelmed first responders and EMTs only to be told my the governor to "not get her panties in a wad" in response to this major change in the world. She is told by authorities to keep it quiet but she decides instead to blow the whistle and tell everyone what is happening.

Upgraded (2024)

I am so confused.

[8/10 · 24 March 2024]

Unlike the utter trash that is on Netflix these days this was an actual movie. With a non AI script and actual actors. Things actually take place with humanity an dialog that sounds like it would come out of a human being. So I am confused to see all these bad reviews. No doubt this movie has flaws and I was going to point them out but the movie itself is good.

I am guessing this movie is based a bit on Cinderella. The main character (Ana) is dirt poor (but pretty) and works for a boss who has two henchladies. The dynamic reminds me of the evil stepmother. The "step sisters" place her on late flight to London (where they are going to work) and Ana has airline worker take pity on her and put her in first class. There she meets a great guy and sort of lies with abandon. I am assuming because she thought it would be just the flight but once she gets to London sort of has to maintain the ruse.

In the end this lying gets her ahead of people who had worked for years and gets her all that she had wanted. There is the rub. The script didn't do a sufficient job not making the main character out to be someone who's lying got her stuff and used even her love interest. That wasn't great. But, if you can hand wave that just a little you will enjoy this. They do make efforts to redeem the main character but not enough.

3 Body Problem (2024– )

Meh

[5/10 · 23 March 2024]

This is a very uneven show. Some parts are thrilling and compelling... some meander and don't make sense. Some casting is spot on while some irritated me the entire time. I can't say I would be excited about a season 2. I never read the book but the show centers on 5 or 6 smart "scientists" dealing with the aftermath of a collapse of science. The main character Auggie -- a scientist who is supposed to be starting a nanotech company. Too bad she looks like a 23 year old supermodel who I don't buy as a scientist for a second. There is also some of the famous D&D poor writing with a dumbing down of the story as you can see they only allude to complicated subjects but never go into them. Then there is the idea that just about everything in the world just happens to happen to this 5 or 6 person friend group in London. Not buying it. There is also a plot line that goes over 6 or so of the episodes that, in the end, comes to nothing. Super uneven. There is just honestly no one to root for in this story even with actors doing their level best.

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Liked it.

[6/10 · 18 March 2024]

Came to this after watching Irish Wish. Imho this was so much better. Yes this is a very predictable rom com. Kind of stealing the plot of "Overboard" but this one had a few things that helped. First, the script. I don't think this one was AI. It moved and changed like a human wrote it. There was showing more than telling -- ie... when Lindsay's character starts to remember her mom when brushing the hair of the love interest's daughter. The supporting cast. Cord Overstreet was charming and had a reason for being where he was. He had a charming and delightful daughter and mom in law. All of this cast help divert focus from this being pure "romance". Lindsay's character was a bit much at first but as the movie goes on you see her learn and grow, something that can be missing in typical rom coms.

Moxie (I) (2021)

Good movie

[8/10 · 18 March 2024]

I get frustrated that people call this woke. This is not woke. This is a legit message that could needs to get out there more. I honestly think it is the same message that movies like Heathers and Pump up the volume were pushing way back in the 80s.

Basically meek and obedient student Vivian just wants to keep her head down and get through high school with her introvert friend Claudia. That is until a new girl comes to the school, Lucy, who offers a different perspective and Vivian finds out about her mom's past as a rebel. Suddenly Vivian is noticing all the little problems at her school and suddenly she can't tolerate them anymore. Vivian speaks out with a newsletter type thing placed in all the bathrooms pointing the problems out under the name of Moxie. Everyone starts to see it now.

Ultimately this is a woman rights movie but you could argue it is a bad behavior movie. We are just done with letting bad behavior go it is about time schools and boards got with program.

Irish Wish (2024)

Ooof this was bad.

[3/10 · 17 March 2024]

I so wanted to like this but it was plagued by the same thing a lot of the cheaper rom coms tend to have... a robot way of dialog. I do think this script was IA inspired because everything is so flat and plain and 90% of the story is told by exposition, dialog with the main character on the phone to her mom. "Mom you know I have always been in love with X" , Mom says "sweety you know I told you to tell him your feelings". This movie is tell don't show.

The big problem though is there isn't really a ton of chemistry with either of the male actors and Lohan. The guy she is crushing on isn't that great and you can't really see why she is crushing on him. The guy she ends up with they employ the "haters to lovers" trope and do it poorly because there is no reason for them to be fighting. They also use the trope of two people in a room together will fall in love for no other reason than they are together. Also problematic is the music. Poor rom coms tend to have this... music that is plain and doesn't seem to match what is going on tends to hurt the overall story - you feel like the whole thing is trying too hard.

Damsel (2024)

Enjoyed it..

[7/10 · 10 March 2024]

As is obvious from the trailers... a princess from a kingdom that is in dire conditions is offered a way out for her kingdom by marriage to a prince. What is the catch you say? Well, good on them they mostly say that but can't find anything obvious so...Princess Elodie goes through with the marriage and, sadly, is immediately taken out to be sacrificed to a dragon. That is cold. The only thing I didn't like is that much of the section dealing with how she survives is a little too long and, in some parts, unbelievable. But most of it is stronger and more intelligent than I was expecting. For example, she doesn't just magically survive... all the other girls have written information on the walls of the cave so that each girl has more information to survive. It ends in a manner that I wanted it to and is overall smart enough not to have me turn off.

Code 8: Part II (2024)

Boring and I turned it off.

[3/10 · 3 March 2024]

Just like the first movie, this is a "powers" movie where almost no one uses their powers. So, most of this movie is going to be restrained and thus boring. Also, the first one suffered from an insufferable and depressing world. Nothing changes here. It all takes place in a nightmarish world with poor main characters living terrible lives. Why do I want to watch that? If at the end, the powers made some difference, ok but, no, they are hardly used and we just get to be witness to depressing things happening to the main characters who, frankly aren't that interesting. Please Netflix stop making these movies.

The School for Good and Evil (2022)

This is terrible

[4/10 · 3 March 2024]

They got me... they put big stars in this thing and made me think it was going to be good... but it wasn't. It had a good plot. Basically, there is a school that sort of trains the fairy tale persons in good and evil and these two girls are sent there. But - make it make sense. After that, nothing makes sense. First, what is glaringly obvious is that the schools of good and evil are boring and broken. Later they give an explanation for that but it is strange that no one in the movie could figure that out. Secondly getting to the end of this movie seemed to take forever with very little in the way of explanation. Lots of time filler scenes. And the final twist has been done a zillion times before. Skip it.

A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023)

Advertisement for Tourism in Vietnam

[4/10 · 28 February 2024]

I would not be surprised to find out Vietnam paid for this movie. As it is mostly an advertisement for tourism in that country. Basically, Amanda (Rachel Lee Cook) is a travel executive. Her boyfriend John (Ben Feldman) is an accountant. They have the perfect ho hum life until John decides to go to Ohio for a job and suggests they go on a "hiatus" (not that she come with). Amanda rightfully ends it. At work an opportunity comes up to check out a tour in Vietnam to see if the company wants to buy the tour. So Amanda is off to Vietnam to check out the tour. She finds a very hot tour guide who she develops feelings for but she needs not to tell him what she is doing there. For me there were two problems. No matter how they try to sell it Vietnam is just no place I would ever want to visit and I was left utterly unmoved by any of it and the main love interests just had no chemistry and I kind of had a hard time thinking it would be a good idea for them to have a relationship since they were so different - she lived in LA he in Vietnam. Seems like a fling to me.

Nobody's Looking (2019)

Clever and funny.

[10/10 · 25 February 2024]

This show had me laughing in the first episode. Filled with witty commentary on the way bureaucracy, stupidity, and followers can get in the way of any basic mission. Guardian angel Uli is the newest angel to be created. He is given the low down on his job from the other angels and given four rules that he can never break. All the other guardian angels follow these rules without question but Uli is just not a follower. He is informed that humans can't see them but also, that they must wear a uniform... but why then? No one has ever asked that before. He is informed that he cannot enter "the bosses" office but when he does, he finds there is no boss, just a machine that randomly ends out assignments. Within the first episode he has broken all the rules and is more effectively being a force for good than any of the other guardian angels.